The present invention relates generally to value printing systems and, more particularly, to postage metering systems which dynamically determine the printing location of postage indicia on a document.
Since the issuance of U.S. Pat. No. 1,530,852 to Arthur H. Pitney, the postage meter has evolved from completely mechanical postage meters to meters that incorporate extensive use of electronic components. Although postage meters have performed satisfactorily in the past, and continue to perform satisfactorily, with the advancement in computer controlled digital printing technology the United States Postal Service (USPS) and other Posts are considering requirements for new technology metering devices.
The USPS is presently considering requirements for two metering device types: closed systems and open systems. In a closed system, the system functionality is solely dedicated to metering activity. Examples of closed system metering devices, also referred to as postage evidencing devices (PEDs), include conventional digital and analog postage meters wherein a dedicated printer is securely coupled to a metering or accounting function. In a closed system, since the printer is securely coupled and dedicated to the meter, printing cannot take place without accounting. Recently, Pitney Bowes Inc. has introduced the PostPerfect(copyright) and Personal Post Office(trademark) meters which are new closed system metering devices that include a dedicated digital printer securely coupled to a secure accounting module.
In an open system, the printer is not dedicated to the metering activity thereby freeing system functionality for multiple and diverse uses in addition to the metering activity. Examples of open system metering devices include personal computer (PC) based devices with single/multi-tasking operating systems, multi-user applications and digital printers. An open system metering device is a PED with a non-dedicated printer that is not securely coupled to a secure accounting module. Examples of PC based open metering systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,781,438 and 5,801,944 which are each incorporated herein by reference.
When a PED prints a postage indicia on a mailpiece, the accounting register within the PED must always reflect that the printing has occurred. Postal authorities generally require the accounting information to be stored within the postage meter in a secure manner with security features that prevent unauthorized and unaccounted for postage printing or changes in the amounts of postal funds stored in the meter. In a closed system, the meter and printer are integral units, i.e., interlocked in such a manner as to ensure that the printing of a postage indicia cannot occur without accounting.
Since an open system PED utilizes a printer that is not used exclusively for printing proof of postage payment, additional security measures are required to prevent unauthorized printing evidence of postage payment. Such security measures include cryptographic evidencing of postage payment by PEDs in the open and closed metering systems. The postage value for a mailpiece may be encrypted together with other data to generate a digital token. A digital token is encrypted information that authenticates the information imprinted on a mail piece including postage values. Alternatively, the United States Postal Service has proposed utilizing public key cryptography to print a bar coded encrypted message on the mailpiece which message can be verified by the postal authority to establish the authenticity of the mailpiece. The combination of the printed postal indicia together with the encrypted information (whether a digital token or a bar coded encrypted message) is referred to as a postal revenue block.
Digital tokens and bar code encrypted messages may be utilized in both open and closed metering systems. However, for open metering systems, the non-dedicated printer may be used to print other information in addition to the postal revenue block and may be used in activity other than postage evidencing. In an open system PED, addressee information is included in the postal data which is used in the generation of the digital tokens. Such use of the addressee information creates a secure link between the mailpiece and the postal revenue block and allows unambiguous authentication of the mail piece.
The previously mentioned publication, U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,944, describes a PC based open metering system that provides the capability of merging an accounted for postal revenue block into another document (such as a letter on 8.5 by 11 inch paper) so that the letter is printed with the postal revenue block thereon in the upper right hand corner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,944 describes that the document with postal revenue block can then be folded in a manner such that the postal revenue block can be viewed through a window of a windowed envelope upon the insertion of the document into the envelope. This feature provides the advantage that in high speed mailing systems the separate step of printing a postal revenue block on the envelope after the document has been inserted therein is no longer required. Moreover, if the destination address is printed on the document in relation to the postal revenue block such that after folding of the document the destination address can be seen through another window of the envelope, the further step of matching an addressed envelope to its corresponding document is also eliminated.
Despite the advantages of the technology set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,944, the only described embodiment therein assumes that the postal revenue block will be printed at the top right hand corner of the document and then the document is folded appropriately so that the postal revenue block is visible through the envelope window. Thus, the location of the postal revenue block mandates that only a limited number of type folds can be used in order ensure that the postal revenue block is visible upon its insertion in the envelope. In today""s environment, however, there are various ways that documents can be folded including Z-folds, C-folds, and half-folds. Moreover, within each of the fold types set forth above, there are different ways in which the particular type fold is created that will directly impact exactly at what location on the printed side of the document that the printed indicia or postal revenue block must be printed in order to be used within a windowed envelope or as a self-mailed product. Accordingly, the prior art devices are limited in that they do not dynamically account for the type of fold the document will be subjected to as an input in determining the printing location of the postage indicia or postage revenue block within the document.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a system and method for dynamically determining a location within a document where an indicia or postal revenue block is to be printed based on the type of fold the document will be subjected to and for printing such indicia or postal revenue block in the determined location.
This object is met by providing a processor based postage metering system including structure for entering user input data including a fold configuration selected from a plurality of fold configurations; apparatus for accounting for postage dispensed by the processor based postage metering system; a document program running on the processor based postage metering system, the document program operable for controlling creation of a document based on the user input data; structure for automatically determining based on the fold configuration a designated location within the document for printing evidence of postage; and apparatus for printing the document and the evidence of postage such that the evidence of postage is printed in the designated location of the document. A method incorporates the functions of the apparatus.